Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Achilles’

ABSTRACT

A  chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Achilles’ characterized by its medium sized blooms with yellow-bronze ray florets and prolife branching; natural season flowering date August 16; blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

‘Achilles’ is a product of a breeding and selection program for outdoor pot mums (garden mums) which had the objective of creating new chrysanthemum cultivars with a single, spoon type flower, a natural season flowering date around August 16; blooming for a period of 5 weeks. The new plant of the present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of chrysanthemum plant. ‘Achilles’ is a seedling resulting from a crossing program, set up by a previous breeder, and which records are unknown to the inventor. The new and distinct cultivar was discovered and selected as a flowering plant by Mark Roland Boeder on a cultivated field in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in 2001. The first act of asexual production of ‘Achilles’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were taken from the initial selection in 2001 and propagated further in a controlled environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The new cultivar has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention of a new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum is shown in the accompanying drawings, the color being as nearly true as possible with color photographs of this type.

FIG. 1 shows a plant of the cultivar in full bloom.

FIG. 2 shows the various stages of bloom of the new cultivar.

FIG. 3 shows the various stages of foliage of the new cultivar.

The plant shown in the photographic drawings was thirteen (13) weeks old when those photographs were taken.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This new variety of chrysanthemum is of the botanical classification Chrysanthemum morifolium L. The observations and measurements were gathered from plants grown out door in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural day length and temperature and planted in week 24 in 2004. The natural blooming date of this crop was August 16-21 (week 34). The average height of the plants was 27 cm. No growth retardants were used. No tests were done on disease or insect resistance or susceptibility. No tests were done on cold or drought tolerance. This new variety produces medium sized blooms with yellow-bronze ray florets blooming for a period of 5 weeks.

From the cultivars known to inventor the most similar existing cultivar in comparison to ‘Achilles’ is ‘Mars’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,678). When ‘Mars’ and ‘Achilles’ are being compared the following differences are noticed: The differences of ‘Mars’ and ‘Achilles’ are (1). Natural flowering date; (2). Ray-floret type; and (3). Ray-floret color. (1) The natural season blooming of ‘Mars’ occurs later than that of ‘Achilles’. (2) Both varieties have single type flowers, but the major part of the ray-florets of ‘Achilles’ is fused into a long corolla tube, leading to the appearance of spoon type flowers. (3) The orange color of the ray-florets of ‘Mars’ is more bright than that of ‘Achilles’.

The following is a description of the plant and characteristics that distinguish ‘Achilles’ as a new and distinct variety.

The color designations are taken from the plant itself. Accordingly, any discrepancies between the color designations and the colors depicted in the photographs are due to photographic tolerances. The color chart used in this description is: The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, edition 1995.

TABLE 1 Botanical Description of chrysanthemum plant ‘Achilles’ Bud Size Small; cross-section 0.5 cm, height 0.5 cm Outside Color Yellow-green 145D Involucral bracts 2 rows, length 7 mm, width 3 mm Involucral bracts among disc- Not present florets Involucral bracts color Green 138A Bloom Type Single, spoon Height 1.5 cm Size Medium Fully Expanded 4.5 cm Peduncle length 7 cm Peduncle color Green 138B Number of blooms per Approx. 8 blooms per branch branch Performance on the plant 5 weeks Seeds Produced in small quantities, ovate grey- brown 199A, 1½ mm in length. Fragrance Typical chrysanthemum, slightly Color Center of the flower Immature Yellow-orange 14A Mature Yellow-orange 15A Color of upper surface of the Greyed-orange 173C-175C, blending to ray-florets Yellow 13C at tip Color of the lower surface Greyed-orange 165C-167C of the ray-florets Tonality from Distance A garden mum with yellow-bronze flowers Color of the ray-florets after Greyed-orange 165C to Greyed-yellow aging of the plant 162C Ray florets Texture Upper and under side smooth Number 120-140 Cross-section Spatulate to convex at tip Longitudinal axis of Straight majority Length of corolla tube 1.5 cm Ray-floret margin Entire Ray-floret length 2 cm Ray-floret width 0.2-0.3 cm Ratio length/width High Shape of tip Rounded Disc florets Disc diameter 0.5-0.7 cm Distribution of disc florets Numerous Shape Tubular Color Yellow 11D Receptacle shape Domed raised Reproductive Organs Stamen Present in disc florets only Stamen color Yellow-green 144A Pollen Present Pollen color Yellow 7A Styles Thick Style color Yellow 13A Style Length 0.4 cm Stigma color Yellow-green 144A Stigma Width 1 mm Ovaries Enclosed in calyx Plant Form Grown as a spray type potmum, outdoor mounded and round Growth habit Spherical shape Growth rate Moderate Height 27 cm Width 25 cm Stem Color Yellow-green 147B with streaks of Greyed-red 182B Stem Strength Weak Stem Brittleness Brittle Stem Anthocyanin Coloration Present Internode length 2.5 cm Length of lateral branch From top to bottom 15-16 cm Lateral branch color Yellow-green 147B-C Lateral branch, attachment Medium strength Branching (average number Good with 5-6 breaks after pinching of lateral branches) Natural season blooming date August 16-September 20 Foliage Leaf color Upper side Green 139 A-B Lower side Green 139C Color midvein Upper side Yellow-green 147D Lower side Yellow-green 148C Size Small.; length 3-5 cm, width 2-3 cm Quantity (number per lateral 25-30 branch) Shape Elliptic Texture upper side Glabrous Texture under side Pubescent Venation arrangement Palmate Shape of the margin Serrated Shape of Base of Sinus Rounded Between Lateral Lobes Margin of Sinus Between Diverging Lateral Lobes Shape of Base Obtuse Apex Mucronulate Petiole length 0.5-1 cm Petiole color Yellow-green 147D

TABLE 2 Differences with the comparison variety ‘Achilles’ ‘Mars’ Natural season blooming date August 16-21 September 6-11 Length corolla tube of ray-florets 1.5 cm 0.3 cm Color upper surface ray-florets Greyed-orange Yellow-orange 22B 173C to 175C 

1. A new and distinct variety of chrysanthemum plant as described and illustrated. 